402: Lake Ontario 2025 Preview

402: Lake Ontario 2025 Preview

Author: Tim Mooney June 12, 2025 Duration: 32:52

After years of circling this ride (pun intended) it's time to do a lap of the lake that I've lived near for a big chunk of my early life. Would it have been easier to pick a smaller lake? Sure. But Lake Ontario truly is a Great Lake in the sense it is surrounded by diverse and interesting places we'll discover together.

Lake Ontario 2025 Preview

The basics

About 540 miles

Two countries, two border crossings

Ferries galore

All roofed lodging

Rural stops and big cities

Driving ebike to WNY that is the beginning and end of the loop

The weather

Warm days and cool nights

Mixed bag for rain and dry

The gear

eBike - biggest ride yet!

Brooks saddle pulled from Brompton for more comfort

Rewrapped my bar end extenders to improve comfort

Batteries and chargers = biggest weight

Riding very light otherwise… 2 days of riding clothes I'll wash each night plus a set of "civilian" clothes and rain gear

Bringing more tools in to handle bigger ticket issues

Tightening down everything in advance

The highlights

Memorial trip for my dad

Checking off some boxes - new to me, international, cool places

Lakeside lodging in a few places

Multiple ferries, including intl crossing

Toronto island stay - true Lake Ontario vibes with killer views of TO

Niagara Falls (probably!)

Weird Tim tourism: Love Canal! Be ready for history talk of American pollution!

A different route to the Erie Canal towpath

The challenges

Distance - despite the ebike, we're looking at some 90 mile days and that could be rough?

Time in saddle - haven't had good long days in the saddle since February

ebike - can it handle this? Sure? Maybe?

rural spots tough for a bailout

unfamiliar places in Ontario until Toronto and even then… new to me by bike


There’s a particular kind of freedom that comes from traveling by bicycle, where the journey itself becomes the destination. The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures, hosted by Tim Mooney, delves into that experience through a mix of personal stories, practical advice, and wide-ranging conversations. Rather than just a how-to guide, this podcast feels like sitting down with a knowledgeable friend after a long day on the road. You’ll hear firsthand accounts from fellow bike tourists, each with their own unique tales from the pavement and gravel, alongside Tim’s own reflections and experiments in bicycle touring. The discussions naturally cover the logistical tips and tricks that make trips smoother, but they also explore the cultural and educational aspects of moving through the world at a human pace. It’s about more than gear and routes; it’s about the connections made and the perspectives gained when you embrace a slower, more engaged form of travel. This audio companion to Pedalshift.net aims to demystify bicycle adventure, making it feel accessible and deeply rewarding. By sharing these stories and ideas, the hope is to inspire your own two-wheeled explorations, proving that a bicycle can indeed shrink the world in the most wonderful way. Tune in for a thoughtful, grounded take on seeing the world from the saddle.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Podcast Episodes
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 6 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:03
Transitioning from from the peaceful Toronto Island back into the urban sprawl of southern Ontario is a bit of a record scratch I'll more thoroughly experience when I eventually ride this ride, but a fast forward to a st…
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:54
Toronto! The biggest city in Canada beckoned with its record shops, high energy and criminally underrated cycling on the islands off shore. With a basketball arena parking spot and my kind of weather, TO was ready to wel…
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:58
This portion of the trip was always going to be a question mark - what kind of biking will there be? Will it be fun? Will I be looking too much ahead to more obviously notable places like Toronto and Niagara Falls? Wolfe…
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:04
So the ebike is a brick in the back of my Rav4, but it still works like a normal bike, so let's keep going! But a sudden realization may provide the solution to unlock all the battery goodness, just as another stunning d…
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:23
Episode 404? Isn't 404 a website error? Well part 2 of the Lake Ontario adventure corrects for the very serious 404 we had with the ebike. Still a mystery, but we're recovering and adventuring by bike in amazing towns li…
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
Folks, if you've followed this pod for any length of time you know my bike adventures usually have a component that goes sideways. But has it ever happened before a single pedal stroke? Can the Lake Ontario adventure sur…
401: LA Metrobike Adventure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:19
What happens when you've only got one day in Los Angeles, a conference that demands your physical presence, and a red-eye flight back home? You grab a Metrobike and explore, of course! On this edition, it's a whirlwind b…
Spring Break: Filling in the Blanks Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:06
Part 2 of 2. My three day weekend tour was about to be washed out by the remnants of yet another hurricane rolling through the area. And since the C&O isn't exactly the best trail in a soaker, it was a good idea to rever…
Spring Break: Filling in the Blanks Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:54
They say you only live once and some people shorten that up to YOLO, turn that into a verb and make questionable decisions. Sometimes that's a pathway to adventure. And sometimes, it's a convenient excuse to do things yo…
Spring Break: Clean-Up Tour Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:44
I'd ridden an ok amount that year, but to be honest, as the year was winding down I realized there were two spots I always hit that I haven't been to yet. So I needed to play a little clean up and get wheels down on thos…